Hey guys!
Just to start the post, I've actually done my research as to parameters, tank size, tank mates and the like, so all this should be alright, though i'm still going to explain the plan and the questions will fall into place.
Also, I usually write long posts, so for people who don't feel like reading my wall of text, i've put my questions in bold.
I've redone my 800L (180g) to be just sand, pieces of wood and epiphyte plants for a matamata.
I've done research as to what particular fish I could put with that turtle that would'nt get eaten and actually come from the same dark water, biotope, and I've settled for Discus and geophagus. This also meant I had to double the filtration because discus get sensitive, or so I've heard.
Discus because well, they're gorgeous, and quiet. But also because like the geophagus, they get big enough that the matamata won't be looking at them.
Geophagus because I heard discus are messy eaters, and I couldn't do the usual corydoras bottom feeders because of the size.
There remains a few questions in my plan, and while I got someone for the matamata part of it, discus are a whole new world for me.
I'm going to be needing to add the discus first, that way the tank is going to be the quarantine while I grow the matamata in a smaller enclosure to lean it towards dead food and can add it once the discus are settled.
Budget wise, it'd be easier for me to get smaller discus, we all know that, baby fish cost less than full grown adults, and it's even more so for discus. Are they fast growers? Can I expect them to outgrow the matamata's growth?
Also, I would love to witness the true parental care, would that be able to happen in a "community" tank? Granted it's just discus and geos, the matamata won't even look at baby discus until they're big enough to be scooped out. I was told it can happen, but don't know if it's the exception rather than the norm.
For number, does 10 sound good in that tank? 15? Less? More?
It's probably the only fish I feel can make a tank stand out without needing a whole lot of them.
To add to that, less bioload the better, while I will have 5000L/h filtration, I have no idea how messy they are so I don't want to overcrowd. And let's be completely honest, I want room for those +1 or +2 you see in that store you'd never seen before and MUST_BUY_NOW.
Last but not least, if any of you have pictures of discus in a dark water setup, I wouldn't mind seeing that, I know what they look like in normal pristine looking water, but in dark, copperish water, it might (and should) look completely different.
Thanks in advance, I'm getting more and more excited about this.
Just to start the post, I've actually done my research as to parameters, tank size, tank mates and the like, so all this should be alright, though i'm still going to explain the plan and the questions will fall into place.
Also, I usually write long posts, so for people who don't feel like reading my wall of text, i've put my questions in bold.
I've redone my 800L (180g) to be just sand, pieces of wood and epiphyte plants for a matamata.
I've done research as to what particular fish I could put with that turtle that would'nt get eaten and actually come from the same dark water, biotope, and I've settled for Discus and geophagus. This also meant I had to double the filtration because discus get sensitive, or so I've heard.
Discus because well, they're gorgeous, and quiet. But also because like the geophagus, they get big enough that the matamata won't be looking at them.
Geophagus because I heard discus are messy eaters, and I couldn't do the usual corydoras bottom feeders because of the size.
There remains a few questions in my plan, and while I got someone for the matamata part of it, discus are a whole new world for me.
I'm going to be needing to add the discus first, that way the tank is going to be the quarantine while I grow the matamata in a smaller enclosure to lean it towards dead food and can add it once the discus are settled.
Budget wise, it'd be easier for me to get smaller discus, we all know that, baby fish cost less than full grown adults, and it's even more so for discus. Are they fast growers? Can I expect them to outgrow the matamata's growth?
Also, I would love to witness the true parental care, would that be able to happen in a "community" tank? Granted it's just discus and geos, the matamata won't even look at baby discus until they're big enough to be scooped out. I was told it can happen, but don't know if it's the exception rather than the norm.
For number, does 10 sound good in that tank? 15? Less? More?
It's probably the only fish I feel can make a tank stand out without needing a whole lot of them.
To add to that, less bioload the better, while I will have 5000L/h filtration, I have no idea how messy they are so I don't want to overcrowd. And let's be completely honest, I want room for those +1 or +2 you see in that store you'd never seen before and MUST_BUY_NOW.
Last but not least, if any of you have pictures of discus in a dark water setup, I wouldn't mind seeing that, I know what they look like in normal pristine looking water, but in dark, copperish water, it might (and should) look completely different.
Thanks in advance, I'm getting more and more excited about this.
